Pipe-thimble.



N9. 785,543, PATENTED MAR. 21, 1905.

0. A. DUNBAR.

PIPE THIMBLE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 19,1903.

PATENTED MAR. 2. 3

0. A. DUNBAR.

PIPE THIMBLE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 19,1903.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

No. 785,543. I PATENTED MAR. 21, 1905.

G. A. DUNBAR. I

PIPE THIMBLE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 19,1903.

WITNESSES: INVENTOFH v I fiharleifimun'bar, MW; BY

ATTOREEY N'rED STATES Patented March 21, 1905.

PATENT, OFFICE.

PIPE-THIIVIBLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 785,543, dated March21, 1905.

A li ati fil d November 19,1903. Serial No. 181,751.

To all 1077/0771, it TIMI/Z] non/007%.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. DUNBAR, a citizen of the United States,residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Pipe-Thimbles; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same, reference being had .to theaccompanying drawings, and to numerals of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

This invention has reference to that class of pipe-thimbles, ordinarilytermed ceiling or wall or partition sleeves, to be used with steam orhot-water pipes of heating systems for buildings and the like; and thepresent invention has for its primary object to provide a novelconstruction of pipe-thimble of the character and for the purposeshereinafter more particularly specified, the thimble being preferablymade from sheet metal and having one or both of its end portions,according to its use as a ceiling or a wall or partition sleeve, madewith a reduced portion in the form of a truncated cone, which is snuglyfitted about the pipe at the'point or points where the pipe enters aceiling or where the pipe extends from the opposite sides of a wall orpartition to provide an ornamental finish at such points and to dispensewith the usual ceiling or wall plates now in use.

The invention consists in the general construction of pipe-thimbles forthe piping of heating systems, as will hereinafter appear.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure 1 is a side elevation of a pipe-thimble embodying theprinciples of my present invention and a representation of a portion ofa pipe with which the same is employed, the ceiling and flooring abovethe same being both represented in section. Fig. 2 is a face view of thepipe-thimble detached from the pipe, and Fig. 3 is a longitudinalvertical section of the same in position upon a portion of piping. Fig.4 is a horizontal section taken on line 4 4 in Fig. 1 looking in thedirection of the arrows, and Fig. 5 is a similar section taken on line 55 in said Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow 1 Fig. 6 is aside elevation of a pipe-thimble embodying the principles of thisinvention and a representation of a portion of a pipe with which thesleeve is employed, the parts being represented in position in a wall,said wall being shown in vertical section. Fig. 7 is a side elevation ofthe said thimble; and Fig. 8 is a longitudinal vertical section of thesame in position upon a piece of piping, the piping being represented inelevation. Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a cotter-pin employed withthe reduced end portions of the thimbles represented in said figures ofthe drawings.

Similar characters of reference are employed in the above-describedviews to indicate corresponding parts.

Referring now to the said drawings, the reference character 1 indicatesthe complete pipe-thimble indicated in the several figures of thedrawings, the same being preferably made from sheet metal, which isrolled in such a manner that the normal tendency of the metal sheet isto roll upon itself, and thereby assume the form shown. The tubular body2 of the said form is provided at one or both of its end portions withthe reduced parts 3, forming when the sheet is in its rolled condition afrusto-conical portion at the one end of the thimble, as indicated inFigs. 1, 2, and 3, or at both ends of the thimble, as represented inFigs. 6, 7, andv 8. Each reduced part 3 is connected with the said mainbody 2, preferably by a bead or other ornamental shoulder t, and thefrusto-conical portion 3 at the one or at each end of the thimbleispreferably provided with longitudinally-extending convolutions orcorrugations 5. The preferred form of thimble 1 is made from a piece ofsheet metal which can be opened out so as to be placed about a pipe 6'of any suitable diameter,the tendency of the said sheet of metal beingto Wrap itself about the pipe, its reduced portion or portions 3adjusting themselves to the size of the pipe and the parts then beingheld or locked by means of a suitable cotter-pin 7 in the mannerrepresented in Figs. 2, 4, 5, and 7 or being held in their adjustedposition upon the pipe by means of any other suitably-formed holdingmeans, as will be clearly evident. It will thus be seen that the pipingcan be installed in the ceiling, as indicated in Fig. 1, or in a wall orpartition, as represented in Fig. 6 of the drawings, and the thimbleinits unrolled relation slipped over the pipe, the thimble immediatelywrapping itself about the pipe and readily adjusting itself to the sizeof the pipe. This having been accomplished, the workman locks thefrusto-conical end portions 3 by means of the cotter-pin 7 or otherholding device and then forces the completed thimble along the pipeuntil the main portion of the body of the thimble rests within theceiling and flooring or within the wall or partition, as illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, and that without the use of any otherfastening means. In this manner the break or opening in the ceiling orin the wall through which the pipe is passed is closed by means of theornamental end portion or member 3,wherebyacomplete and ornamentalfinish is produced at a slight expense in cost of manufacture, material,and labor.

From an inspection of the several figures of the drawings it will beseen that a. large open space 8 is formed between the inner portion ofthe tubular body 2 of the thimble and the outer cylindrical surface ofthe pipe 6, to which air is conducted by the passage-ways or channelsformed by the convolutions or corrugations 5 with the cylindricalsurface of the pipe 6 at the points where the said frustoconical endportions 3 hug the said pipe. Thus a free circulation of air ismaintained about the pipe, and all danger of fire or the charring of theWoodwork back of the ceiling or in the wall or partition due to theresult of overheating is clearly obviated.

When the thimble is in use upon the pipe, the seam 9 and that portion ofthe member or members 3 upon which the cotter-pin 7 is arranged areturned into such positions that these parts will not be exposed to theview of the ordinary observer, and when the exposed reduced portion ormember 3 of the thimble is bronzed, painted, or colored to correspondwith the ornamentation of the exposed portions of the pipe or with thecoloring of the ceiling or wall an ornamental and sightly finish in theform of a rosette is provided at the points where otherwise an unsightlyhole or break in the ceiling or wall would be the result.

Of course I am aware that some changes may be made in the arrangementsand combinations of the various parts, as well as in thedetails of theconstruction of the sleeve, without departing from the scope of mypresent invention. Hence I do not limit my invention to the exactarrangements and combinations of the parts as described in the foregoingspecification and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, nor do Iconfine myself to the exact details of the construction of the saidparts.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. An adjustableresilient pipe thimble formed with overlapping meeting edges, andcomprising a cylindrical body portion and a reduced frusto-conical endportion the smallest diameter of said end portion being less than thatof the smallest pipe with which the device is designed to be used, saidend portion having longitudinal corrugations, and a fastening meansadapted to cooperate with said corrugations to retain the edges of thethimble in adjusted relation.

2. An adjustable resilient pipe thimble formed with overlapping meetingedges, and comprising a cylindrical body portion and a reducedfrusto-conical end portion the smallest diameter of said end portionbeing less than that of the smallest pipe with which the device isdesigned to be used, said end portion having longitudinal corrugations,and a cotter-pin slipped over the overlapping meeting edges of thereduced frusto-conical end portion adapted to cooperate with saidcorrugations to retain the edges of the thimble in adjusted relation.

3. An adjustable resilient pipe thimble formed with overlapping meetingedges, and comprising a cylindrical hotly, a head at each end of thesaid body, and a reduced frustoeonical end portion extending from eachbead, the smallest diameter of each end portion being less than that ofthe smallest pipe with which the device is designed to be used, said endportions having longitudinal corrugations and fastening means adapted tocooperate with said corrugations to retain the edges of the thimble inadjusted relation.

4. An adjustable resilient pipe thimble formed with overlapping meetingedges. and comprising a cylindrical body portion and a reducedfrusto-conicalend portion the smallest diameter of said reduced portionbeing less than that of the smallest pipe with which the device isdesigned to be used, and a fastening means slipped over the overlappingmeeting edges of the reduced frusto-conical end portion to retain theoverlapping meeting edges of the thimble in adjusted relation.

In testimony that I claim the invention set forth above I have hereuntoset my hand this 17th day of November, 1903.

CHARLES A. DUNBAR.

Witnesses:

FREDK. C. FRAENTZEL, GEO. D. RICHARDS.

